The oyster is his world

With speed, finesse, and tenacity, William 'Chopper' Young shucked his way into the record books

GALWAY, Ireland - The residents of Wellfleet were certain that shellfisherman William "Chopper" Young could shuck an oyster faster than anyone else in town. Now that he's the world champion, they know he's among the fastest anywhere.

In the field of shucking competitions, winning the Guinness World Oyster Opening Championships, the centerpiece of the Galway International Oyster Festival, is equivalent to a gold medal in the Olympics. An American hadn't won the event in 32 years. But when Young took the stage in Galway and opened 30 oysters in 2 minutes 47 seconds, he beat contenders from 16 other nations. This weekend he'll be the toast of the eighth annual Wellfleet OysterFest.

Young, 41, who lives in Wellfleet with his girlfriend, Allison Paine, grew up in Seal Cove, Maine, near Acadia National Park. He honed his talent by shucking sea scallops for the commercial market. In 2002, he entered and won his first Wellfleet competition. Since then the nonprofit Wellfleet Shellfish Promotion and Tasting organization has rallied behind Young, supporting him in regional and national competitions.

Last fall, the third time was the charm for Young at the St. Mary's County Oyster Festival in Leonardtown, Md., where he won the National Oyster Shucking Championship and secured a ticket to Galway as the American representative.

"My goal has always been to reach the top," he said. "A competition is a mental thing. Before you go up on the stage, you've already shucked those oysters a million times in your head."

At this level of competition and skill, the strategy is to find the right balance between speed and perfectionism as results are determined by both time and presentation. Penalties can ruin a quick time. An oyster with grit or a damaged shell adds 4 seconds, as does a cut muscle or an oyster not severed from its shell. The worst infractions - a missing or unopened oyster, or one with blood marks - adds 30 seconds to the overall time.

"It's not a gift you have," said Young, whose grandfather gave him the nickname "Chops" - which turned into "Chopper" - because of his fat baby cheeks. "You have to stay on your game. There's also the luck of the draw with the oysters. No two oysters are the same. You have to deal with that."

Ostrea edulis, known as the European flat oyster, is native to Ireland. Since the international festival's inception 54 years ago, the competition used Kelly Galway oysters, whose beds are in the inner bay near the Clarinbridge and Kilcolgan rivers.

Young's special technique involves opening an oyster from the side rather than prying open the rear hinge. What he didn't expect was that Galway oysters, with their layered feathery edges, would crack using this method. Also, his favorite knife - a Dexter Russell handle with a modified Japanese blade - was too thin to enter the hinge without snapping.

On Friday night, less than 24 hours before the competition, Young realized his technique and his knife wouldn't work.

"It was clear I was going to have to change if I was going to have a shot at it," he said. "And I'm not one who likes to change. I'm kind of pig-headed. Luckily I was able to do it."

Per Olosson, the Swedish world champion in 2000, provided Young with an appropriate knife. The two had previously met at a competition in Prince Edward Island. Now all Young had to do was practice.

On the day of the competition, clouds obscured the sun over Nimmo's Pier, where swans beg for bread along Ballyknow Quay. This didn't inhibit 1,500 partygoers in an enormous striped tent from having a rollicking good time dancing, drinking Guinness, and feasting on raw oysters, local smoked salmon, and seafood chowder while waiting for the event to begin.

On the stage, the master of ceremonies requested nom de plumes for each contender so that the judges, sequestered outside, wouldn't be biased when they evaluated the trays. Behind the stage, Young hopped to relieve tension. Holding his new knife in his gloved hand, he shucked imaginary oysters the way a batter swings at an imaginary ball. Called to the stage in the third heat, Young was given the nickname "His Excellency."

It took an hour for the results to be tallied. The winners were announced in reverse order, and eventually Young stood in the top two with the Irish national champion, Michael Moran. Though Moran's time was better - 2:22 - his penalties pushed him into a tie with Young at 2:47. And because Young incurred no penalities, he was declared the winner.

John P. Rabbitt, festival chairman, was gracious about an American beating an Irishman on his home turf.

"Michael Moran gave him a close run, indeed," Rabbitt said. "I believe this was the closest result ever. It's always satisfying to have an overseas winner, particularly as they're at a slight disadvantage in that our native oyster is so difficult to open."

Finnish champion Eero Kennovaara shook his head in admiration. "Chopper is one of the best oyster openers I've seen in my life. He works with such enthusiasm it gives me inspiration."

Back home, Young has been working his shellfish beds in preparation for his booth at this weekend's Wellfleet OysterFest. Young is scheduled to demonstrate his technique, show off his Waterford crystal trophy, and be cheered by the hometown crowds at 12:30 p.m. today. Later, Young hopes to fly to Maryland in time to attend the nationals tomorrow.

Will he compete again?

"My goal has been to win the world competition, get my piece of glass [trophy], and retire," Young said. "I haven't changed my mind - yet. It's hard to put it into words, the whole emotional part of reaching the top. It's awesome."